The Other Side Of Life: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow?

"If There's a bustle,

In your hedgerow,

Don't be alarmed now,

It's just a Spring clean,

For the May Queen"

Lyrics courtesy of 'Stairway To Heaven' by Led Zeppelin

Exactly what a Victorian fashion accessory might be doing in the bushes, I don't know, but I'm always happy when May arrives, with or without the May Queen. It's usually my favourite month of the year. The FA Cup Final and the conclusion of the football season. The Eurovision Song Contest,in all of its wonderfully camp glory, and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The weather is usually nice. Pleasantly warm, but not too hot. And never too wet. Just nice. And it's a month when I usually begin to shake off any Winter related malaise.

But this was definitely not a normal May. The weather has been weird, to say the least. At times, cold to the point of almost being frosty. Lot's of rain. And then a record breaking heatwave. It's definitely been a weather rollercoaster.

And as a football lover, it's been a rollercoaster month on that front too. My team, Southampton has been doing well in EFL Championship this year and just missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League. Nevermind, we were in the play offs and in great form. The Premier League beckoned. And then came the infamous 'Spygate'. Quite simply, we got caught spying on our opponents training sessions, which is against the rules and despite winning the Play Off semi final, we ended up being thrown out of the Play Off Final. So I'm absolutely appalled and disgusted by the actions of a club I love. And it's going to cost the club tens of millions of pounds in lost income, not to mention the reputation and integrity of the club. The club's nickname is 'The Saints'. It will be 'The Sinners' from now on.

Eurovision was the worse one I can remember, with a very poor selection of songs, except for the winner, Bulgaria's Dara with a banger of tune called 'Bangaranga'. The UK entry was rubbish. And it has to be said this was probably the least camp and queer Eurovision since the days when Sandie Shaw was singing about puppets. And it had the spectre of Israel's participation and the boycott by five member states.

So what's been happening here at home. Well things have continued to be difficult, but with some considerable light at the end of the tunnel. We have had some help from occupational health for my Wife and we also got offered funding for her to spend a 7 day break in a residential care home to give me some much needed respite. So hopefully we can get that organised before too long. I will be using the opportunity to spend as much time dressed as Deeanna as possible, and will try and time the break for a time when I can visit my friend Veronica and her wife. Maybe a day out in Penzance for a walk along the lovely promenade in a vintage dress. I'm also thinking about possibly having a makeover done at Sophie's Dressing Service in Plymouth. Whatever happens it will be an opportunity for lots of femme time, and it will be a chance for me to recharge my energies.

My last post on here, was about my little dressing space in the garden. Well I had a rather unnerving experience in there a couple of weeks ago. I went over to sort through my wardrobe. And when I came to come back out the door lock mechanism broke, and I couldn't open the door. I was trapped. And I didn't have my mobile phone with me. The windows are toughened glass, so it would have been difficult to break them. I thought that I would be trapped until my Wife noticed me missing and called for help. I decided to run at the door and shoulder charge it,throwing my whole weight against it. This I did and thankfully it flew open. It was a huge relief to be out. I could have been locked in there for a long time. Definitely a lesson learned about always carrying my mobile phone with me. Once out, I called a locksmith, who replaced the broken lock mechanism for a price that wasn't too bad.

The garden is looking very nice at the moment with plenty of floral colour on display. I do enjoy gardening. Besides crossdressing, it's my greatest passion. And May is also the month when the flower shows start, with the Malvern Spring Show and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. As a member of the RHS, I used to attend both, but sadly due to my caring duties it's been over a decade since I last attended one. But I enjoyed the coverage on the telly, and this year seemed a very good show. Here a few photos of my own garden.

So what's been happening on the dressing front, I pretend to hear you ask?

Well I managed two dressing sessions during May. Do you remember the blue Seasalt dress that I mentioned buying last month? You don't?

Let me jog your memory. I posted an AI generated imagining of what I might look like in it.

AI Image Of Seasalt Dress

Well I had a few hours to dress and so I was able to actually wear the dress and scarf as per my design. And it looks and feels great to wear. I'm very pleased with it. It's definitely going to be a dress that gets a lot of use. I teamed it with a navy blue scarf, as per my AI creation.

Wearing The Actual Seasalt Dress

I also wore the dress without the scarf for those days when the weather is a little warmer. It's a wonderful dress.

Seasalt Dress Sans Scarf

Did I say warmer weather? Oh yes I did. Much warmer weather. Not just warmer, but full on Mediterranean heat. The mercury climbed to 30 degrees C, which is very rare in Cornwall. But it didn't stop me having another short dressing session. I just went with the hot conditions and dressed to deal with them. I wore my blue paisley patterned, kaftan type dress with my actual rose tinted sunglasses, and found a shady spot in the garden to sit and relax in the early evening.

Enjoying The Warm Weather

At the end of the month I shared a lovely phone call with my good friend Rebecca George, a Tgirl from London. We have been friends since 2011, and so it was lovely to chat to her. Sadly she is having a difficult time at the moment, because her wife is unwell, and she is having to juggle being a carer with her busy life. As a fellow carer, I offered her my support. But to be honest, the last thing we really need is to moan about our respective caring situations, so we just had an enjoyable chat about our lives as Tgirls. She's a lovely girl and speaking to her is always a joy.

Rebecca George

Rebecca writes fashion articles for TransLiving International and has many published in the old print magazine they used to publish, and now provides articles for their online site.

https://transliving.co.uk/articles/

She also has many wonderful photos on Flickr, where you can also read her wonderful stories about the scandalous Lady Rebecca Georgina Arabella Lyndon, Duchess of Basingstoke, and her life as the most titled and notorious call girl known to high society.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecca_george/

She really is one of the most creative and fun spirits I know and a total joy in my life.

So onto next months plans. I hope to dress a lot more next month. I have just taken delivery of a new dress from Damart, which I hope to wear early in the month. I have created an AI image of what it should look like on me. I am going to buying some white tennis shoes next month.